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Macon County Students Survey Butterflies As Part of Migration Celebration

Submitted by Site_Manager on Thu, 12/11/2014 - 08:53

For the 5th year in a row, approximately 300 5th and 6th grade students from Mountain View Intermediate School took part in "Migration Celebration" at the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee's Tessentee Bottomland Preserve. The event is led by the Coweeta LTER Schoolyard Program and focuses on bird and Monarch butterfly migrations. Thus far, over 1,500 students have taken part in Migration Celebration, catching and releasing nearly 700 butterflies of 33 different species. Students have tagged 23 Monarchs as part of the University of Kansas's Monarch Watch citizen science program, which seeks to better understand Monarch migration patterns. Other highlights include students documenting a new county record butterfly (Ocola Skipper) and catching a releasing a NC significantly rare butterfly (Checkered White). The event allows students to take part in authentic place-based research. More about the event can be found in recent press from the Public News Service: Winging It: North Carolina Students Learn About Conservation Through Butterflies - See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-12-09/animal-welfare/winging-it-no...